Page 2 of The Devils' Darling

My blood runs cold.

I can’t let this happen, but it’s not as though I have much say in the matter. No, I have to be stronger than this. I must be smarter. I won’t just let them take me.

The only thing I can see as a tiny light at the end of the tunnel is that at least I won’t live long. Without my meds, my seizures will steadily get worse, and, so soon after the one that hospitalized me, I’ll be dead within a matter of weeks, maybe less. But weeks of being repeatedly brutalized by whoever these men are is still too much.

My brain spins with thoughts, and I fight against my rising panic.

Down here, there’s only me and him.

My hands aren’t bound, and neither are my feet.

If he plans on putting that collar on me, he’s going to have to open the cage door. I allow my gaze to slide past him, toward the staircase and the door that remains ajar at the top. What lies beyond the door? More men? Even if I manage to get past this one, will I be able to slip past the others?

One thing I know is I must try. I’m done with waiting for people to rescue me, relying on others to make things right. I need to take matters into my own hands.

The cage is big—tall enough to stand upright in. It’s more like a kennel or maybe a bird aviary. Did they buy it specifically with the intention of keeping me, or was it already here? Could it be that I’m not the first girl to have ended up in this place? The possibility that Paxton has nothing to do with this, and I’ve just been unlucky enough to catch the attention of a bunch of raping, murdering psychopaths, is even more terrifying.

The collar has a metal ring looped around it. I understand what it’s for—to chain me to something like I’m a goddamned animal. To hold me in place while they take me. Tears fill my eyes. Fuck.

“Come here, Kitty,” the man growls. “Hold that pretty hair back for me so I can do this up. You have such a beautiful neck.” His gaze drifts down. “Nice tits, too.”

“Leave me alone.”

“No chance.”

He sets down the bowl, and my stomach turns. It’s not easy to see what’s in it, but it looks like some kind of minced meat. Will I ever be hungry enough to eat from that? Thirsty enough to drink from the bowl? My mouth and throat are already dry, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to take that step. I will, though; I know I will, if I’m here long enough. I won’t die of thirst or starvation just because of my pride.

He uses a key to open the gate of the cage.

I brace myself, every muscle tensed, my breath caught. My eyes are wide and fixed on the space the gate will leave once it’s opened. I know I’ll only get one chance at this, and if I time it wrong, I’ll be fucked.

The man opens the gate then bends to pick up the bowl.

I take my moment and lunge for the opening, trying to get past him. For a split second, I think I’m going to make it, and my heart lifts in hope, but then his thick fingers wrap around my wrist, and he yanks me back so hard, my head snaps from the whiplash.

He swings me back inside, and I crash against the bars on the farthest side. Pain bursts through me as I slide to the floor on my back.

I let out a howl of misery.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

He enters the cage fully and stands above me, staring down at me. His eyes contain a kind of wickedness I’d hoped to never come across.

I lift my hand to protect my face. “Please, leave me alone.”

He jangles the collar at me. “Not until this is around your pretty neck. I’ve had orders from the boss.”

The boss? Who is his boss?

“No!”

I flip myself to my stomach and push onto all fours, but he lifts a large, booted foot, and plants it in the middle of my back, stomping me back down again.

I cry out, pain radiating down my spine and out through my kidneys.

He lifts his foot across me, so he’s straddling my back now. I know there’s no point in trying to get up again, that he’ll only stamp me down, so I reach out and try to commando crawl to get away from him.

He reaches down and fists my hair, pulling hard. He yanks my head back, like I’m a horse in a bridle, arching my neck and spine.

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